Jesus Denounces the Scribes and Pharisees - etching by Friedrich Ludy (Unknown date)

Jesus told the Pharisees,

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. Yet you yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert and when you succeed, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing, but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?

You say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices, but you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the later without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but, on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead then and complete what your ancestors started!

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore, I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. Jerusalem, you who kill prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

What the story means to us today

Religious hypocrisy brings woes upon the Pharisees

The seven woes are pronounced because of the following sins:

Jesus and the Pharisees - Unknown artist
  1. Failure to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and thus closing the door on those trying to enter the kingdom of heaven.
  2. Being superficially zealous and causing great harm as a result.
  3. Twisting the meaning of scripture.
  4. Being hypocrites by enforcing the Law in the wrong manner (i.e. ignoring mercy and faithfulness).
  5. Being hypocrites by purposefully misunderstanding the scriptures due to greedy objectives.
  6. Hurting God’s message by being hypocrites.
  7. Being hypocrites and blaming others.

Most of the woes Jesus proclaimed on the Pharisees relate to hypocrisy, a trait that applies equally as well to many Christians today. There is a reason why Jesus harps so strongly on hypocrisy. The gravest danger to the Christian Church comes from the inside in the form of hypocrisy.

Additional thoughts and considerations

The significance of woes

Many translations note this section as “seven woes on the Teachers of the Law” which sounds like a mystical curse. Although any condemnation from someone as powerful as Jesus should not be taken lightly, a woe is not truly a curse, especially not in a mystical manner. A woe is a means of condemning someone and their actions. It is a granular, specific condemnation akin to “shame on you for doing this” that was probably common in Jesus’ day.

Comparing the woes in Matthew to Luke

Luke 11:37 mentions six woes pronounced on the Pharisees. There is overlap between Luke’s woes and Matthews’. It is unclear why. Possibly Jesus mentioned woes on the Pharisees fairly frequently, which could be expected given the mission God assigned him to complete.

The first woe – failure to recognize Jesus as the Messiah

Jesus tells the Pharisees they have “shut the door on the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces”. As religious leaders, they have an obligation to God. By failing to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the Pharisees are causing great harm to others who look to them for guidance.

The second woe – harming others by being superficially zealous

Jesus says the Pharisees “travel over land and sea to win a single convert”. As seen through the ancient writings of Philo and Josephus, history shows first century Judaism proselytism was indeed rampant in the region. And with each proselyte won over, another soul was taught a twisted version of the Old Testament scriptures, a version that disallowed any possibility of Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

The Pharisees Question Jesus - James Tissot (1886-1894) thumb

The third woe – twisting the meaning of scripture to suit one’s purpose

The Pharisees official law said, “If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing, but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.” The Pharisees tradition was to avoid swearing by God’s name, or on anything closely related to God, so they developed rules (laws) allowing swearing by other means. For instance, they avoided swearing by the temple but would swear by the gold that decorated the temple. They even created arbitrary rules that determined how binding their oath would be depending on which object the oath was sworn on.

Jesus points out the folly of the Pharisees making up their own rules for oaths in order to avoid swearing by God’s name. Jesus tells the Pharisees, “Anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.”

The fourth woe – hypocritically enforcing religious tenets in the wrong manner

Jesus tells the Pharisees, “You give a tenth of your spices but you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced both.” Tithing has been common since Old Testament times (Deuteronomy 14:22) and the Pharisees diligently maintained the practice. In fact, they developed detailed rules on what should be considered an appropriate payment for tithes.

Since food was used as payment for tithes, there was a great argument about the value of spices – should they be tithed or not? Their concise rules regarding tithing, fixated on small details and neglected God’s more important directives (such as mercy) that are much harder to follow faithfully than simply giving a tenth of your income to God. This was precisely why Jesus was sent to Earth – to clarify and correct misconceptions surrounding the Old Testament teachings and laws.

The fifth woe – hypocritically interpreting scripture for greedy purposes

Jesus tells the Pharisees, “Woe to you. You clean the outside of the cup and dish but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence”. As whimsical as it seems, whether cleansing the inside and outside or just the inside was indeed a controversy for those who followed Old Testament teachings. Jesus latches onto this silly argument noting that the interpretation was a moot point. The Pharisees were full of greed inside and out! They must first cleanse themselves – then their ritual religious practices will take care of itself.

The sixth woe – demeaning God’s message by being a hypocrite

Jesus says to the Pharisees, ‘Woe to you. You are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of unclean bones of the dead.” Jesus uses the appearance and nature of whitewashed tombs to symbolize the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. To other men, the Pharisees seem virtuous, but inside they are full of wickedness.

The seventh woe – hypocritically blaming others

Jesus notes that the Pharisees built monuments to honor the prophets that came before them. The building of monuments however, did not elevate the Pharisees moral standing.

Jesus condemns Pharisees for their religious traditions and hypocrisy - Unknown artist

More critically, the Pharisees said, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part in persecuting them.’ To claim they would have acted better than their forefathers is egotistical and hypocritic for they are acting just like them in their persecution of Jesus.

The same could be said for many modern-day Christians who naively presume they would have acted differently towards Jesus and the disciples had they lived in Jesus’ day. These same Christians hypocritically turn around and persecute others, a complete repudiation of God’s most important commandment – love they neighbor.

The prophets and sages that the Pharisees will soon kill

Jesus notes that the Pharisees are doomed to hell and says that because of their refusal to listen and believe his message,

“I am sending you prophets, sages, and teachers. Some of them you will crucify and kill, others you will flog and pursue from town to town.”

As a result of their actions against the future teachers, the Pharisees will be held accountable.

Jesus says “this will come on this generation”. The apostles carried on Jesus’ ministry after his death. The performed many of the same miracles that confirmed Jesus’ status as God’s son. Like Jesus, they were persecuted for their actions. Jesus’ statements could not have been any more accurate.

The final lament over Jerusalem

Jesus finishes his discourse by summarizing the state of Israel and predicting its future. His prediction was of course, spot on. To this day, Israel rejects Jesus as the true messiah. They still refuse to accept his message.

Thus, Jesus concludes with a heartbreaking lament over the Jewish nation. Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem is one of the most poetic and touching verses in the Bible.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.  Thus, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Jesus has completed his criticisms of the Jewish leaders and finishes with a compassionate lament on the people the leaders have mislead. God, through Jesus, truly wanted to save Jerusalem from their misguided ways. As he said in Ezekiel 18:32, he “takes no pleasure in the death of anyone” but only seeks that they “repent and live”. But as Jesus notes, it is clear they are unwilling to comply. Thus the “house” (Israel) will be left behind, empty and void. They will never know Jesus until they recognize that he is the savior promised to them in the Old Testament.

If the Jewish people never recognize Jesus as the messiah, will they be allowed in heaven?

Jesus says the people of Israel will not see him again until they say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord”. In other words, they will not see Jesus until they recognize him as the true Messiah. This begs the question, will Jewish people be allowed in heaven if they never recognize Jesus as the true messiah?

Verses such as this are commonly used to presume Jews are doomed to hell. In short, it is not a question we are equipped to answer and presuming to believe Jews will not enter heaven is basically akin to classifying them as enemies of God. It’s not just dangerous view to adopt, it’s not a Christian spiritual stance by any means. We know the people of Israel are God’s children and he has historically gone to great lengths to help them. There is no reason to presume he would not do so again.

Is there an eight woe?

The NIV and other manuscripts omit verse 14 which says something similar to what is found in Mark and Luke:

“They devour widows’ houses and for a show they make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Manuscripts that omit the verse believe it was added to scripture at a later time. If this verse were included, it could be argued that there are eight woes, not seven.

The science and history behind the story

Whitewashed tombs

Jesus tells the Pharisees they are like whitewashed tombs – beautiful on the outside but full of unclean bones on the inside. In Jesus day, corpses were considered unclean and anyone who came in contact with them voided ritual cleanliness required of certain holidays. It was thus important for pilgrims to be able to identify graves. To help them out, graves were whitewashed to make them easy to identify.

Zechariah, son of Berekiah

Jesus tells the Pharisees,

“Upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.”

Abel of course, is the first victim of murder in the Bible (Genesis 4:8). The identity of the man Jesus refers to, Zechariah son of Berekiah, is unknown.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees - Artist unknown

He may be Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. The historian Josephus mentions a Zechariah, son of Baris who was murdered in the temple. It could be Zechariah, son of Berekiah (Zechariah 1:1). Or it may be Zechariah the son of Jehoiada whom we are told in 2 Chronicles 24:20 was a priest who was stoned to death in the courtyard of the temple.

Since Jesus named Abel first, it is clear he was implying the Pharisees would be held accountable for deaths from the beginning of time to the current time, or possibly until the end of time. It is also likely that the person Jesus mentioned would be familiar to the Pharisees of the time. Thus, the identity of the person Jesus referred to may never be known to anyone but the Pharisees that Jesus was speaking to.

Notes on Biblical translation

Strain out a gnat

Ancient Israelites were forbidden from drinking from a vessel in which something died, including something as small as a gnat. Thus, they went to great trouble to strain a gnat out of a drink to keep it from dying and making the drink unacceptable for consumption.

Jesus tells the Pharisees that they “strain out a gnat but swallow a camel”. The Aramaic words for camel and gnat sound almost the same Thus Jesus’ statement would have carried additional weight because it would have been considered witty wordplay to the Pharisees.

Bible Text

NIV

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. [14]

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

The New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Print.

The NET Bible

23:13 “But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.

23:15 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves!

23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ 23:17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 23:18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ 23:19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. 23:22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.

23:23 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. 23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!

23:25 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too!

23:27 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. 23:28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

23:29 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 23:30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 23:31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 23:32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! 23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

23:34 “For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, 23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 23:36 I tell you the truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these things!

23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! 23:38 Look, your house is left to you desolate! 23:39 For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2006. Print.

New King James Version

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982. Print.

The Message

      13 “I’ve had it with you! You’re hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God’s kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won’t let anyone else in either.

      15 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned.

      16–22 “You’re hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, ‘If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that’s nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that’s serious.’ What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands? And what about this piece of trivia: ‘If you shake hands on a promise, that’s nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that’s serious’? What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands? A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless.

      23–24 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?

      25–26 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.

      27–28 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.

      29–32 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. You protest too much! You’re cut from the same cloth as those murderers, and daily add to the death count.

      33–34 “Snakes! Reptilian sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? It’s on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse.

      35–36 “You can’t squirm out of this: Every drop of righteous blood ever spilled on this earth, beginning with the blood of that good man Abel right down to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah’s son, whom you murdered at his prayers, is on your head. All this, I’m telling you, is coming down on you, on your generation.

      37–39 “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God’s news! How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me. And now you’re so desolate, nothing but a ghost town. What is there left to say? Only this: I’m out of here soon. The next time you see me you’ll say, ‘Oh, God has blessed him! He’s come, bringing God’s rule!’ ”

Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005. Print.

King James Version

13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009. Print.

Sources: NIV, The Message, The NET Bible, King James Version, NET Bible Notes, Faithlife Study Bible, The Apologetics Study Bible, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary, The Bible Reader’s Companion, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Holman Concise Bible Commentary, The Bible Exposition Commentary, The Teacher’s Bible Commentary, The Teacher’s Commentary, The Bible Guide, Word Studies in the New Testament, Holman Bible Handbook, Calvin Commentaries, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines, The New Manner and Customs of the Bible, Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, The Lexham Bible Dictionary, Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Harper’s Bible Dictionary, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, The Archaeological Encyclopedia, Biblical Archaeology Review, The New Bible Dictionary, The Lexham Analytical Lexicon, Glossary of Morpho-Syntactic Database